Separated
by James MacGowann
Summary: SG-1 are separated due to things beyond their control. Each has a task they must perform. Will they succeed, or will they fail? Only time will tell... W.I.P.
1. Prologue

Prologue 

The helicopter came in low and fast. Nose down, tail up, all other air traffic diverted away from the flight path. It meant business. A brief gust of wind rose when it touched down on the landing platform. Before the rotors had stopped turning the doors opened. Three people jumped down, two in white lab coats. The third was in a typical Military uniform. A gurney was extracted from the aircraft and wheeled from the helicopter pad through the main doors, people jumped out of the way. None wanted to impede its progress.

It made a left turn into one of the many wards and stopped next to an empty bed. "On my count." One of the doctors called, meaning to transfer the patient from the gurney to the bed. That done, wires were attached and then connected to a monitor, to keep a tab on the vital statistics of the woman now led in the bed. Everyone took a moment to catch their bearings in this, a lot had happened in such a short space of time that everyone was merely reacting to the events, which was not good for doctors, but sometimes it couldn't be helped.

Taking a quick note of the monitor's display - slightly high heart rate, slightly low blood pressure - the doctor turned and looked at the man in the standard military uniform. "Okay, Colonel. My office." Janet took one last glance towards her friend, and patient before leaving the room and walking down the corridor. Her heels clicked on the floor like a metronome. Holding the door open, she indicated for him to enter first. "I want to know exactly what happened. Right from when you arrived. Everything she touched, said, drank, ate. Everything."

* * *

Every light was running off the emergency generator. The phones were dead, elevators non-functioning, not even the coffee machine was working. That fact alone irked him more than any other. Except one. Once the lockdown had been put in place, the infirmary - or rather, its one patient - had been moved out to the Air Force Academy Hospital across town. He couldn't go and see her, didn't know how she was doing. Once the lockdown was in place, no communication was allowed in or out. That also included people. Jack had been the smart one, Daniel thought. Getting out in the evacuation helicopter while he could.

The cause of the lockdown was still being traced, maybe it was some sort of practical joke someone had played, if it was, they'd have hell to pay from Janet. The command had been given via computer, though the hard drive had been subsequently wiped. Maybe they had a Goa'uld in their midst, though it was unlikely. Perhaps a simple agent, but whom? He didn't recall seeing anyone acting strangely recently. Unless you counted Jack, but then the man always did get grumpy around the six monthly medical check-ups. Nothing new there.

It was a mystery all right, but one which he didn't have any ability in solving. That was more Jack and Sam's field. Great, the two people who could solve it were stuck outside. Oh the joys of being an Archaeologist. Getting up, he needed to stretch his legs. Walk around; _do something_. The hall outside was quiet and deserted. Nothing shocking there. Most of the people had gotten out while they could, mostly low-level technicians who barely had the clearance to look at the Stargate, much less do anything like this. Exactly the type of person who would make a good agent, he thought suddenly. Turning left, he proceeded down the hall towards the stairs that would take him up to the CO's office.

* * *

Jack was staring out of the window, trying to gather his thoughts. He hadn't been watching her every second of the trip; he had no idea what she did most of the time. Yet, the doc had asked, and when doctors ask things, you had better give them what they want, or they'll start poking you with things. He hated doctors, medical ones at least. Daniel could be useful at times, and Carter did save their butts on a regular basis with her knowledge. Taking a deep sigh, he began from the top, with an account of all he knew.

"Okay, it went like this..."


	2. Chapter I

Chapter I 

_She was predictably early in the Gateroom for the mission, though he had come to expect that of her. Teal'c was just behind him in the hall, which left Daniel. The man was almost constantly late for everything. Either deliberately, or through his genuine forgetfulness Jack didn't know. Either way, he was late. Checking his watch, Jack counted the minutes s they ticked by. Three, five, seven, finally ten. The door to the Gate room ground open, and then closed after permitting the doctor entrance._

_He appeared unashamed by his lateness, which infuriated the Colonel even more. Shooting a quick glance up to the control room. The whole group was there. General Hammond, the dork with the glasses who makes sure he and the other teams get through the Iris okay whose name Jack could never remember to save his life. Several other techs were present._

_Putting them all out of his mind, Jack turned back to the Gate as it started to slowly spin, Seven loud 'thuncks' later, the field of plasma had boiled back into the blue shimmering circle that was the event doohickey that Carter kept raving about the first time she saw it. Settling his green baseball cap more securely onto his head, Jack gave a quick salute up to the control room and then headed up the ramp, letting his team settle in behind him._

_He found it interesting how they'd all settled into a system so quickly. It had only taken a few months for things between them to become part of a routine. The emerged on the other wide, to exactly what the MALP had shown. Bright, blue sky. Trees. Grass. Typical. Looking around, he saw Daniel peering intently at something on the ground. Carter was using some techno thingy to take readings of the planet's surface and atmosphere. Scientists._

_"Carter. Daniel, spread out, let's see if there's anything worth looking at here." He turned back before he could catch the looks they would undoubtedly give him. Sure, Daniel may have found some thing that showed how a dead civilization was oh-so-advanced as to use pottery, or something unhelpful like that. Every planet, he got a bee up his proverbial backside whenever it came to things like that._

"Wait, back up, did Sam find anything in her readings? Any anomalous bio presence?" Janet interrupted his explanation with a worried look.

Jack shook his head. "If she did, she didn't tell me. She usually points out stuff like that, Doc."

Janet nodded, making a small note on her writing pad. "Okay, carry on."

The room was cold, and not due to the temperature. Daniel stared across at him, and he stared right back. "You were in the room at the exact moment it happened. You must have seen something."

The technician looked at him with a slightly scared expression. "No...no sir. I was busy with work. What with Major Carter... incapacitated, I wanted to get a start on the computer system overhaul if I could at least get the project started, and she could then concentrate on the work."

Daniel arched an eyebrow at him, but let it pass. Many wanted to make Sam's job easier, him amongst them. Sitting back, he sighed. This was their only lead. Many believed he was just flat out lying, but not Daniel. There was something in his eyes, his voice. They screamed the truth at him, and maybe they were. All knew what an accusation of this level could do to someone's career. If he was innocent, then it would be a shame to kill a promising career. On the other hand, if he was responsible for them all being stuck on the base, then Daniel would personally make sure that he suffered.

"Okay, take me through what you did hear and see, just for the record, from the top." Sitting back, he let the microphone recorder capture every noise in the room.

The technician took a deep breath then started. "I went on duty t 1602. I was running a little late as I spilled coffee over my uniform. Not much happened for the entire evening. Except at around 2030, I thought I heard the door open, but when I looked up, no-one was there, so I ignored it and carried on working. A few minutes later I heard typing, and not just my own. Yet, no one was in the room other than me. It didn't make any sense, so I figured I'd go and get more coffee to snap myself out of it."

He paused, took a breath again and thought a moment. "I guess it could have been someone who was invisible, or had some form of cloaking device, though it wouldn't be our technology. Maybe something the Goa'uld had. Or a Reetou, we had some trouble with them not long ago, remember? Though why they would want to..." He sighed and shook his head. "That's all I got, sorry."

Daniel waited for a fraction of a second before jumping up and leaving the room. Poking his head back in, he looked at the tech. "Wait here, I'll be back." Closing the door behind him, he nodded to the guard standing next to it. The guard nodded back. And moved directly in front of it, barring access. His feet pounded along the corridors as he made his way through the base.

* * *

He breathed deeply, concentrating, relaxing. Thinking, not thinking. Feet marched outside the room, but he ignored them. They always marched. Forwards, backwards. Left, right. Always in pairs. The Tok'ra were helpful, willing to allow him to be among them during this time of problem for the Tau'ri. 

He sensed a presence in the room, and opened his eyes. Slowly climbing to his feet, Teal'c turned to see who it was. To his surprise, he saw the father of his friend, Samantha Carter. Inclining his head, he waited for the man to speak.

"We have received word from Earth." The deep voice of the Tok'ra symbiote came through the host. "They are locked down. No-one can enter the base. No one can leave. They suspect it may be an intruder, though if it is, they will have the use of a stealth technology. We have been requested to help out. We could use your help on a reconnaissance mission."

Teal'c inclined his head, accepting the request.

* * *

_The temperature was slightly too warm for his liking. Too warm and too dry. It felt like Iraq. Too warm, too dry, and far too uncomfortable for his taste. Though, all off world planets had the last aspect. It was something he had to get used to. Sadly, it was the one thing he never couldm ad probably never would. Looking around them, he settled his cap more securely on his head. It was a habit he had developed over time. He didn't know why he did it; it was just something that he did._

_The team were behind him, walking along, trying to find 'something' that would make this mission worth while. More than just another meeting with some ancient people that would make Daniel drool and go all gaga over. He hated scientists, had stated it emphatically, actually._

_"O'NEILL!"_

_Jack turned at the bellow, dropping to one knee, ignoring the all too common pain, searching for a tactical threat. What he saw instead chilled him to the bone._


	3. Chapter II

Chapter II

To be forced to work all night was something he had grown used to, to be made to work all night without so much as a decent cup of coffee was a new experience. To add insult to injury, there wasn't actually much work to do. With the main power down, no computers were working, so he couldn't even finish up the report on P3X-689. Sighing in frustration, he tried to think of something that was worth doing.

"Off-world activation! Off-world Activation! All defence teams to the Stargate Room!" Sgt. Davies' voice rang over the tannoy system of the whole complex, which jolted him out of his chair. At least he had something to do now. Running up the stairs, he arrived in the Control Room along with Hammond, who was coming down from his Office.

"Receiving IDC, it's the Tok'ra."

Hammond leaned forward and took hold of the microphone. "This is General Hammond of Stargate Command. Do not proceed through the Stargate, we are under a Lockdown, I repeat do not-"

"George." Hammond blinked, and looked at Daniel, who shrugged Evidently Jacob hadn't got the message. "No need to get all stuffy about it. I got the message. "We received your message awhile back, and went out hunting. Sit tight, and we may have an answer for you shortly. Out."

The signal cut off, and the Stargate disengaged. Daniel smiled faintly. "Well, good to know that we've got someone looking out for us in the Galaxy."

* * *

"_Was she shot? Come on guys, this is important." Jack knelt down next to the woman. She was on the floor, unconscious. No sign of any injuries were apparent, though Jack knew that didn't mean much._

_No one said anything. Daniel was too stunned to speak, and Teal'c was off looking for something, or someone. "Daniel! Snap out of it, dammt!" He got up and slapped the Archaeologist around the face. Not too hard, just hard enough to snap him out of whatever daze he was in. "Was she shot? Attacked? What happened?"_

_He blinked, and then his eyes focused on Jack. "She uh, wandered off into the woods for a moment, came back holding her hand, and then suddenly collapsed, no idea what happened."_

_At his words, Jack glanced down and reached out a hand for her own. On the palm there for two little puncture wounds, like bite marks or something._

"Did you just say bite marks, Colonel?" Janet's voice broke through in a worried tone.

Jack sighed in annoyance at her. "Yeah doc, bite marks. Now can I carry on with telling you what happened? Or are you going to always interrupt me?"

She looked at him a moment before standing. "Forget Story Time for now, follow me." She left the room and walked in a brisk fashion back to Sam's bed. Taking a latex glove, she carefully snapped it on, wondering if it was already too late for precautions, and not just for herself. Her medical training was already preparing her mind for what may be coming, but she still wouldn't believe it. Not until an electron microscope proved it to her.

Lifting up the hand gently, she looked at it. He was right, dead centre; evidently something had bit her and passed on something. Nasty critters, animals. Always carried diseases and viruses that were quite harmless to them, but the most deadly things to humans. She prayed that it hadn't been some form of monkey, especially with the climate they had been in.

"Okay, get her into Quarantine; I don't want to take any chances with this. Colonel, you and everyone else will have to go through Decon. We can't get to Daniel or Teal'c, but not much we can do about it. Move!" Janet pulled the glove off and dropped into the container for incineration. Looking back, she watched as a team of medical personnel in full bio suits moved forward to transport her to a more secure location, which could be shut off completely from the rest of the hospital.

Jack was frowning heavily. "Doc? What is it? What's up?" He was edgy, and for a very good reason. Lying on the bed was a member of his team, his responsibility. She may have been the Doc's patient, but she was on his team.

The look Janet gave him shut him up, and it wasn't often that that happened. Taking one last look at Carter, he nodded slowly and let himself be shown to the Hospital's decontamination area. His mind didn't know what was happening, but when Decon was necessary, then things were bad. Maybe it had something to do with the bite. But why… he shook his head again. Figuring stuff out was a job for the egg-heads, not him.

* * *

The ship flew in low over the planet. It had been discussed, and decided that travelling by Cargo ship, rather than Stargate was the best way to avoid being seen by the Goa'uld. It was just the two of them, as no other Tok'ra would risk their life. That fact annoyed Jacob more than any other. The SGC was in danger, his daughter was in danger, and no one wanted to help. He knew the Tok'ra played things with a rather large amount of caution, which he understood. That much he gained from Selmac, but he himself knew that sometimes you had to forgo caution in the name of helping someone. Daniel my call it "The Third Principle of Sentience", it was the ability to sacrifice yourself for a cause, or a loved one, or even a friend. To him, it was merely life.

A life he had spent in the Air Force, sacrificing himself to protect others. Here he was, doing it all over again. But, if it meant saving his little girl, then he'd go to Ne'tu and back. Below them, a Goa'uld research facility complex spread out. It was big, impressive, and typically Goa'uld. The Tok'ra had Intel that the Goa'uld were working on something that would help them defeat Earth, though no one knew how. No one had wanted to find out either, despite his repeated requests. Now they had a very good reason to find out.

The landing was a little rough, but then that could be accounted for by the harsh landscape. Turning in his chair, Jacob looked at his passenger. Neither had said a word on the whole trip. Not even after they had contacted the SGC to let them know what was going on, but that was okay, Jacob could deal with silence, it was Jack who always had a problem with it. Moving to the back of the craft, he checked his weapon and then opened the door, Teal'c was right behind him.

The trip to the complex was uneventful, for the most part. A small number of Jaffa were guarding the perimeter, but they were easily avoided. Using his knowledge gained form Selmac; Jacob got them into the compound without incident. It was only a matter of finding out what information there was that would help those n Stargate Command, if there was any.


End file.
